November 9, 2013, 11:13 a.m.
After putting the wireless signal receiver, bug monitor, and other instruments back into the huge suitcase, Kiana flopped heavily onto the bed. The soft mattress and quilt swallowed half her body, as if washing away the exhaustion clinging to her.
The snow-white quilt was just the right thickness for autumn and winter. The lavender scent flooding her nostrils was pleasantly faint, and the wardrobe occupying an entire wall contained two sets of bathrobes and shower caps with their tags still attached, along with neatly arranged hangers of various sizes.
The bathroom in the single room had a shower and a bathtub. Unopened shampoo, several small packets of body wash, and hand soap sat scattered across the sink.
In her memories, the young man had apologized and explained that there was no conditioner, body wash, or spare toothbrush and toothpaste specifically for girls. He would go to the general store and bring them back when he went to make dinner later. He had even thoughtfully asked about details like which Homu design she preferred on her toothbrush cup.
Kiana had been taken care of from start to finish. While the young man tidied the room, the girl had offered to help, but Su Qing'an had seriously refused, saying that Kiana was a guest now and that, according to Shenzhou customs, it was impolite to make a guest do the work.
To help her wait at ease, Su Qing'an had skillfully made her an iced latte with extra sugar. In the end, the latte had been presented before Kiana in a glass, layered black and white. When the young man said it was an employee benefit, Kiana's itching urge to pay had vanished like a bubble.
Her instincts told her that all this kindness was pure and overflowing with goodwill.
Kiana's instincts were very accurate. It might sound a little superstitious, but she truly could sense the atmosphere between people, the extent of their lies, and whether they harbored goodwill or malice.
Ever since she had embarked on her journey to find her father, many things she had experienced had proven that these instincts existed. That was why she usually disliked thinking too much before acting. Obvious malice was often impossible to solve with intelligence, while hidden malice could not escape her perception.
So, stumbling along the way, Kiana had grown accustomed to speaking with her fists.
Yep. Physics was the truth.
Kiana was not actually stupid. In theory, praising her as clever would not be a lie told against one's conscience.
In any case, everything today was strange. Under normal circumstances, even with conditions like these, Kiana would not have agreed just to avoid trouble. Given her exceptionally striking appearance and her situation as a lone traveler, refusing would eliminate most potential trouble.
Well, her habitual use of things like bug monitors and wireless signal receivers made it clear that Kiana had plenty of experience with such matters.
But she had agreed. That fantastical, strangely familiar flutter had directly knocked open the shell she had built to avoid trouble, making her want to stay for some inexplicable reason.
Of course, the fact that Kiana had spent rather lavishly without considering frugality along the way, and had begun to realize that her father's savings had shrunk to a point she hardly dared look at, was another reason.
"Su Qing'an, huh? Hmph. What a strange guy."
Extending her five fingers and looking at the ceiling, Kiana muttered. Her half-undone white braids looked even more radiant than the snow-white quilt. Sunlight fell through her fingers onto her face, and the spots of light gave her small cheeks a faint blush, making her look exceptionally cute.
Being treated this way actually felt very nice, but the somewhat tsundere girl would never say so aloud.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the coffee shop.
In his room, Su Qing'an held the Void Sword Qi and flipped through it as he studied. He could basically confirm that this Void Sword Qi truly came from the hands of a god. If everything were treated as a game, then the Void Sword Qi should count as a beginner's gift pack.
The reason for his certainty was simple: Atropos had told him.
Atropos had not directly answered the final sentence Su Qing'an had spoken before his resurrection. As a witness, Atropos was an existence akin to a tool. He had no reason to lie, but neither did he have any reason to explain rules or anything beyond the specified information.
Yet refusing to answer was itself a kind of answer.
The conclusion was that the Void Sword Qi was a divine creation. It might be a modified version, the original version, or perhaps an incomplete version.
In any case, he could not tell which one it was.
That was the helplessness brought about by limited ability and an information gap.
Unable to resist and with no way to break through the situation, he could only honestly take the bait and cultivate.
"The Sword Heart Technique, huh?" The young man closed his eyes. "I can only try it first."
"Po... lu... ji di... fo... luo... leng..." Strange syllables, articulated clearly by the young man, echoed through the room. An invisible field rose and fell, transforming into a mysterious force that calmed his state of mind until it was utterly still.
According to legend, the Void Sword Qi possessed five essences: heart, form, intent, soul, and spirit. Among them, Heart Essence was the first essence required for entry, and also the most difficult apart from the Sword God.
It was divided into four realms.
The state of mind melted into a lake, becoming Still Water.
The Mind Lake froze, becoming Dustless.
The ice of the mind became clear and pure, becoming a Bright Mirror.
The mind's qi became formless, becoming the Void.
According to the principles and limitations of this martial art, men could at most stop at the Dustless realm.
But no one could know what form the Void Sword Qi modified by a god would ultimately take, or where Su Qing'an's limits would lie.
The disorientation of transmigrating, the seven days spent with hua, the pain of death, the guilt of breaking his promise, the despair of facing Honkai, the determination and anger he had felt while escaping Changkong City, and death descending once again amid dancing cherry blossoms—
All these emotions surged forth like an unstoppable tide when the strange syllables soothed his state of mind into stillness.
The syllables possessed a mysterious power. It was like a moving train endowed with immense inertia. Even when his emotions surged almost out of control, the syllables from the young man's mouth continued to emerge at a tranquil, unhurried pace.
"Li ye... luo leng po... na luo..." Su Qing'an felt an inexplicable force move through every part of his body. The tangled emotions, vast as mountains and abysses, gradually turned into droplets of water and slowly gathered.
For a long, long while.
When his emotions finally calmed once more, Su Qing'an opened his eyes.
A Mind Lake as vast as a vast ocean had condensed.
The state of mind melted into a lake, becoming Still Water.
The Sword Heart was complete.
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